Xenos Christian Fellowship Christian Ministry Unit 2 Using

Copyright 2012 Xenos Christian Fellowship

Xenos Christian Fellowship

Christian Ministry Unit 2

Using Your Bible

Week 3 – Canonicity

Introduction

The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown:1

Professor Teabing: “Everything you need to know about the Bible can be

summed up by the great canon doctor Martyn Percy.” He cleared his throat

and declared, “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven.”

Sophie: “I beg your pardon?”

Teabing: “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did

not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of

tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions

and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book... More

than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a

relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

among them.”

Elaine Pagels:

“We now begin to see that what we call Christianity…actually represents only a

small selection of specific sources, chosen from among dozens of others.”2

Pagels’ implication is clear: the version of Christianity depicted in our Bibles reflects the

ideology of “the winners,” who suppressed alternative and equally credible versions of

Christian spirituality.

“The concerns of Gnostic3 Christians survived only as a suppressed current, like a

river driven underground.”4

1 Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code (New York, New York: Doubleday, 2003), p. 231.

2 Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York, New York: Vintage Books, 1989) p. xxxv. Pagels is a professor

of Religion at Princeton University. 3 “The designation Gnosticism, derived from the Greek gnostikos (one who has gnosis, or "secret knowledge"), is a

term of modern scholarship. Evidence for the Gnostic phenomenon, found in the Church Fathers who opposed

Gnostic teachings (Irenaeus, c. 185; Hippolytus, c. 230; Epiphanius, c. 375) and in the Gnostic writings themselves,

reveals a diversity in theology, ethics, and ritual that defies strict classification. Yet Gnostic sects appear to have

shared an emphasis on the redemptive power of esoteric knowledge, acquired not by learning or empirical

observation but by divine revelation.”- Encyclopaedia Britannica 4 Elaine Pagels, The Gmostic Gospels, (New York, New York: Vintage Books, 1989) p. 150.


2

Canonicity

Definition: Canonicity is the study of the _________________ and

___________________ of the books that belong in the Bible.

Why does this matter?

If humans determined which books should be included, then…

But if God gave us clear, objective criteria by which we can recognize his inspired books,

then…

In this lecture we will address several questions that skeptics often ask:

Did men decide which books should be included in the Bible?

Was it just the books that were oldest that were gradually revered as scripture?

Why is there disagreement among Christian groups about which books should

be included in the Bible?

What about other ancient books that record Jesus’ teachings like the Gospel of

Thomas?

Our approach

We will argue that _______________ _______________, not human decision,

determined which books were included.

(Geisler & Nix) “God gives divine authority to a book and men of God receive it.

God reveals and His people recognize what He reveals. Canonicity is determined

by God and discovered by man.”5

The primary test:

Old Testament:

New Testament:

5 Geisler & Nix, From God to Man: How We Got Our Bible (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1974) p. 66.


3

How were the books of the Old Testament selected?

1. The Antiquity Theory

(Stephen L. Harris) “As centuries passed, Israel’s legal and prophetic writings

grew ever more venerable and were quoted, debated, and read publically in the

synagogues until familiarity with their teaching and their recognized consistency

with the Mosaic tradition made them by use and habit part of the Hebrew Bible.”6

Problems with this view:

A. The Old Testament itself suggests that its books were accepted

_________________________.

Moses told the Israelites to place the book of the Law beside the Ark

(Deut. 31:24-26) and were warned not to add to it (Deut. 4:2).7

Joshua received Moses’ writing as scripture (Joshua 1:7,8).

Joshua commended his own writings to the people of Israel as

scripture (Joshua 24:26).

Samuel commended his writings to the people as scripture

(1 Sam. 10:25).

Micah, who was a contemporary of Isaiah, accepted Isaiah’s words as

scripture (compare Micah 4:1-4 with Isaiah 2:2-4).

Jeremiah regarded Micah’s writings (125 years earlier) as being from

God (Jer. 26:18).

Daniel, writing around 537 BC, accepts Jeremiah’s writings (627-585

BC) as scripture (Daniel 9:2). Notice also the clear implication that a

collection of inspired “books” already exists.

Old Testament authors knew and the Jews understood that Moses and

the prophets that followed him were receiving revelation directly from

God (re. David: 2 Sam. 23:2-3; re. Moses: Ex. 31:8; 34:1). “Thus says

the Lord” appears almost 500 times in the writing prophets.8

B. The Old Testament authors were aware of many ancient writings that they

__________________________________________

Joshua and Samuel quote The Book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel

1:8) and Moses quotes The Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14),

both clearly very ancient texts, but neither was accepted into the Hebrew

canon.

6 Stephen L. Harris, Understanding the Bible (Palo Alto, California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1985), p. 9.

7 On additions to Deuteronomy that narrate the death of Moses, see Walter C. Kaiser Jr., The Old Testament

Documents: Are They Reliable and Relevant (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2001), p. 21-22. 8 Kaiser says 5000 times, which must be a mistake. Ibid., p. 20.


4

Liberal commentators claim that the book of Daniel was written no earlier

than 165 B.C., but all must agree that it was seen as inspired by 110 B.C.9

This would mean Daniel reached canonical status in just 50 years!

Meanwhile, “a very worthy book like Ecclesiasticus, similar to Scripture

in subject matter and also written in Hebrew, and dated about 180 B.C.

was not accepted into the Hebrew canon.”10

Conclusion: The evidence does not support the notion that Old Testament books

were accepted because of their age or widespread use.

2. Our view: The books of the Old Testament were accepted as they were written based

on objective criteria:_____________________________________

What is a prophet?

How did the Jews determine who was and was not a prophet?

To prepare them for his departure, Moses gave the Israelites two

ways to identify a true prophet:

Test #1: _____________________________________________

(Deut. 18:18-22) "'I will raise up a prophet from among their

countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth,

and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And it shall

come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he

shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. But the

prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name

which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall

speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' "And

you may say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word

which the LORD has not spoken?' "When a prophet speaks in

the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or

come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken.

The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be

afraid of him."

9 “In the second column of the 4Q Florilegium a passage of Daniel is quoted like passages from any other biblical

prophet, with the expression ‘as it is written in the book of Daniel the prophet,’ the doubts about its canonicity have

been generally abandoned.” Roger Beckwith, The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church (Grand

Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1986) p. 78. 10

R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible (Greenville, South Carolina: A Press, 1996), pp. 154-155.


5

(1 Samuel 3:19,20) “Thus Samuel grew and the

LORD was with him and let none of his words

fail. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba

knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of

the LORD.”

(Jeremiah 28:9) "The prophet who prophesies of

peace, when the word of the prophet shall come

to pass, then that prophet will be known as one

whom the LORD has truly sent."

(Ezekiel 33:33) "So when it comes to pass—as

surely it will—then they will know that a

prophet has been in their midst."

See also Jeremiah 44:29,30.

Test #2: The message of a true

prophet_________________________________________

(Deuteronomy 13:1-5) "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams

arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the

sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to

you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not

known) and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words

of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your

God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God

with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the

LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His

commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to

Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to

death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD

your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and

redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from

the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to

walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you."

Because God safeguarded his revelation through these two

tests, God held the Israelites culpable for following false

prophets and their gods (see Isaiah 41:21-29; 44:24-28;

45:20,21; 46:5-11; 48:1-8).

How can we be sure that prophetic authorship was the criteria used for


6

including books in the Old Testament?

A. External evidence

Josephus: “From Artexerxes to our own time the complete

history has been written but has not been deemed worthy of

equal credit with the earlier records because of the failure of

the exact succession of the prophets.”11

The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS): The Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the

canonical books of the Old Testament as "the Law and the

Prophets" or "Moses and the Prophets." Since Moses himself

was seen as a prophet, this is futher evidence that ancient Jews

saw the entire Old Testament as the work of prophets and used

this criteria for including some books and rejecting others.

B. Internal Evidence

1. Moses wrote the Pentateuch (Exodus 17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27;

Deuteronomy 31:9,22,24; Ezra 7:6; Psalm 103:7; Joshua 8:31,

23:6; 1 Kings 2:3).

2. The Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), except for

Daniel, identify themselves as prophets. They stated that they were

ordered to write (Jeremiah 30:2; Ezekiel 43:11; Isaiah 8:1) because

they were aware that they were communicating revelation. This

would account for the books by their names plus Lamentations (by

Jeremiah).

3. Each of the 12 Minor Prophets identify themselves as prophets.

4. 1st and 2nd Samuel, and 1st and 2nd Kings were written by

prophets (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15; 13:22;

20:34; 32:32; 33:19).

5. Joshua (Joshua 1:1; 5:13-15), Solomon (1 Kings 3:5ff.), and

Daniel (Daniel 7:1) all received revelation from God, either

directly or through dreams and visions, which squares with God's

11

Flavius Josephus, Against Apion, book 1, paragraph 8.


7

description of a prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1; Numbers 12:6-8).

Joshua was the first fulfillment of God’s promise in Deuteronomy

18:15 to raise up another prophet after Moses. This accounts for

Joshua, Daniel, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

6. David and Asaph, the two main authors of the Psalms, are

identified as prophets in Nehemiah 12:24,36 ("David the man of

God") and 2 Chronicles 29:30 ("Asaph the seer"). Peter also called

David a prophet (Acts 2:30).

Only Judges, Ruth, Chronicles, Job, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther

lack internal evidence for prophetic authorship. But external

evidence that prophetic authorship was the criteria used suggests

that the authors of these books were included in the Hebrew canon

because they were written by prophets.

This conclusion is further supported by the fact that New

Testament authors understood the entire Old Testament as being

written by prophets.

1. Jesus often referred to the entire Old Testament as “the Law

(written by Moses the prophet) and the Prophets” (Mt. 7:12; Mt.

22:40; Luke 16:16 “the Law and the prophets were proclaimed

until John”).

2. Paul described the entire Old Testament as being written by

prophets:

(Romans 16:25) “Now to Him who is able to establish you

according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,

according to the revelation of the mystery which has been

kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested,

and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the

commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to

all the nations, leading to obedience of faith...”

Conclusion: We have argued that the books of the Old Testament were not

chosen arbitrarily by a group of powerful men, nor were they accepted merely

because of their antiquity. Through short-term prophecy and doctrinal fidelity

with previous prophets, the Jews could confirm who was and wasn’t a

prophet. When they recognized that a book had been authored by a prophet,

they immediately included the book in their canon of scripture. This is why

we say that the Jews had a clear, objective way to recognize which books to

include. This is why the Apocrypha should not be considered part of the

Bible (see handout on “The Apocrypha”)—it does not claim to be authored by

prophets.


8

How were the books of the New Testament selected?

1. Dan Brown’s view12

in The DaVinci Code:

“Because Constantine upgraded Jesus’ status almost four centuries after Jesus’

death, thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal

man. To rewrite the history books, Constantine knew he would need a bold

stroke. From this sprang the most profound moment in Christian

history….Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted

those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those

gospels that made him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered

up, and burned.”13

Problems with this view

A. New Testament authors expected their readers to immediately

receive their letters as revelation from God.

(1 Cor. 14:37) If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let

him recognize that the things which I write to you are the

Lord's commandment.

(1 Thess. 2:13) And for this reason we also constantly thank

God that when you received from us the word of God's

message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what

it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in

you who believe.

(1 John 1:4,5) And these things we write, so that our joy may

be made complete. 5 And this is the message we have heard

from Him and announce to you…

B. The apostles accepted other New Testament writings as scripture,

thus showing that, just like the Old Testament, believers knew

immediately that these books were scripture.

(2 Peter 3:15,16) “…just as also our beloved brother Paul,

according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in

12

Some may object that we are reacting to a work of fiction, but in an interview with Charles Gibson on Good

Morning America, Dan Brown said that he accepts the theory about Mary Magdalene that the book is based on. See

Hank Hannegraff & Paul L. Maier, The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc.) p. 71, footnote 8. 13

Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code (New York, New York: Doubleday, 2003) p. 235.


9

all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are

some things hard to understand, which the untaught and

unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures…”

(1 Tim. 5:18) “For the Scripture says, ‘YOU SHALL NOT

MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING,’ and ‘The

laborer is worthy of his wages.’”

C. Early on, apostolic letters were read and circulated as scripture.

These quotes are important because they show that long before any

church councils, the church was well aware that these texts were

scripture.

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (70 – 155 A.D.), quoting Psalm

4:5 and Ephesians 4:26: “As it is said in these scriptures, ‘Be

ye angry and sin not’ and ‘let not the sun go down upon your

wrath.’”14

Writing to the church at Ephesus about Paul’s letter to the

Ephesians, which they still possessed: “For neither I, nor any

other such one, can come up to the wisdom of the blessed and

glorified Paul. He, when among you, accurately and

steadfastly taught the word of truth… And when absent from

you, he wrote you a letter, which, if you carefully study, you

will find the means of building you up in that faith which has

been given you.”15

D. By the 2nd Century A.D., there was widespread agreement about

most of the New Testament books.

By the middle of the second century, most churches were using

our 4 gospels, Acts, the 13 letters of Paul, 1 Peter, and 1 John.

(Bruce Metzger) “What is really remarkable is that, though the

fringes of the New Testament canon remained unsettled, a high

degree of unanimity concerning the greater part of the New

Testament canon was attained within the first two centuries among

the very diverse and scattered congregations not only in the

14

Polycarp, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, chapter 12. 15

Polycarp, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, chapter 3.


10

Mediterranean world, but also over an area extending from Britain

to Mesopotamia.”16

So why did church councils discuss which books should be included?

(Bruce Metzger) “When, toward the close of the fourth century, church

synods and councils began to issue pronouncements concerning the New

Testament canon, they were merely ratifying the judgment of individual

Christians throughout the church… In the most basic sense, neither

individuals nor councils created the canon; instead they came to recognize

and acknowledge the self-authenticating quality of these writings, which

imposed themselves as canonical upon the church.”17

In other words,

councils did not create the canon, they merely endorsed and certified the

canon that already existed.

Should we be suspicious of books that took a long time to be universally

recognized?

Some New Testament books like 2 Peter, James, Hebrews, and

Revelation did take a long time to be widely accepted. But Bruce

Metgzer points out, “that just shows how careful the early church

was… they weren’t ‘gung ho,’ sweeping in every last document that

happened to have anything about Jesus in it.”18

2. Our view: The books of the New Testament were accepted as they were written

based on objective criteria:_________________________________.

Apostolic authorship in the New Testament corresponds to prophetic

authorship in the Old Testament.

16

Bruce Metzger, The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content, Third Edition (Nashville, Tennessee:

Abingdon Press, 2003), pp. 317-318. Metzger is a widely respected professor at Princeton Theological Seminary

who specializes in studying ancient documents related to the New Testament. 17

Ibid., p. 318. 18

Bruce Metzger quoted in Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence

for Jesus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1998) p. 68.


11

What is an apostle?

How can we be sure that apostolic authorship was the criteria used for

including books in the New Testament?

A. Jesus authorized the Apostles as his official spokesmen, which

included the authority to write scripture (see Matthew 10:40;

John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13).

B. From the beginning of the church, the Apostles were seen as the source

of authoritative teaching.

The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-16:4)

(Ephesians 3:4) And by referring to this, when you read you can

understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other

generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now

been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit...”

(2 Peter 3:1) This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to

you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of

reminder, 2 that you should remember the words spoken

beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the

Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

C. Leaders in the early church perceived the New Testament as the work

of the Apostles.

Polycarp (70 – 155 A.D), bishop of Smyrna: From his letter to the

Philippians: "So then 'let us serve him [Christ] with fear and all

reverence', as he himself commanded us, as did the apostles, who

preached the gospel to us, and the prophets, who proclaimed

beforehand the coming of our Lord" (Polycarp to the Philippians

6:3).

Irenaeus (130 – 202 A.D.): After charging a heretical group with

distorting scripture to support their own position, Irenaeus says,

“Such then is their system, which neither the prophets announced,


12

nor the Lord taught, or the apostles delivered, but of which they

boast that beyond all others they have a perfect knowledge. They

gather their views from other sources than the Scriptures…”19

The Muratorian Fragment (170 A.D.): This ancient document

contains a discussion about which books should be included in the

Bible. In this section, notice the reasoning the author uses to reject

a book called The Shepherd of Hermas: “But the Shepherd was

written by Hermas in the city of Rome quite recently, in our own

times, when his brother Pius occupied the bishop's chair in the

church of the city of Rome; and therefore it may be read indeed,

but cannot be given out to the people in church either among the

prophets, since their number is complete, or among the apostles for

it is after [their] time.”20

D. Heretics often distributed their own books under the name of an

apostle, implying that apostolic authorship was a known criterion for

accepting books into the canon.

(2 Corinthians 11:12,13) But what I am doing, I will continue to

do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an

opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which

they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful

workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

Eusebius (275 – 339 A.D.): Discussing how heretics distribute

their own writings under the name of an apostle, Eusebius says,

“we have… been obliged to make a list of [disputed books],

distinguishing between those writings which… are true, genuine,

and recognized, and those which differ from them in that they are

not canonical but disputed, yet nevertheless are known to most of

the writers of the church, in order that we might know them and

the writings which are put forward by heretics under the name of

the apostles containing gospels such as those of Peter, and

Thomas, and Matthias, and some others besides or Acts such as

those of Andrew and John and the other apostles.”21

19

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, book 1, chapter 8, paragraph 1. 20

The Muratorian Fragment, lines 73-80. 21

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, chapter 25, paragraphs 6 & 7.


13

E. We can connect the authorship of every New Testament book to an

apostle.

As with the Old Testament, if apostolic authorship was the

criteria for accepting a book into the New Testament, we

would expect many of the New Testamant authors to identify

themselves as apostles. That is exactly what we find.

The thirteen letters of Paul all indicate that he is the author.

Although the Pauline authorship of some of these letters has

been challenged by some modern scholars, there is good

evidence that all the letters we have are authentic.22

The gospel of John indicates that the author is one of Jesus'

original disciples (John 21:23,24).

The three epistles of John are identical to the gospel in style.

1 John also claims to by written by an eye-witness of Jesus

(1 John 1:1).

Revelation claims to have been written by John

(Revelation 1:4,9).

Both 1 Peter and 2 Peter claim Petrine authorship (1 Peter 1:1;

2 Peter 1:1; 3:1).

The remaining books have no internal reference to an apostolic

author, but in every case they have strong historic ties to an

apostle.

Matthew: Early church writings state that the apostle

Matthew wrote the gospel named for him.

Papias (140 AD) states that "Matthew composed

the oracles in Hebrew, and each one interpreted

them as he was able."23

Irenaeus (180-192 AD) states: "Matthew,

among the Hebrews in their own dialect,

brought out also a gospel while Peter and Paul

in Rome were preaching and founding the

22

For more detail on the disputed authorship of some New Testament epistles, see Donald Guthrie, New Testament

Introduction (Downers Grove: Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 1970). 23

Eusebius, Penguin Classics: Eusebius, The History of the Church (New York: Penguin Books, 1984), p. 152.


14

church."24

Mark: John Mark was Peter's amenuensis – an understudy who

researches or writes under supervision. Paul and Peter both

used amenuenses in some of their letters.25

Papias said that “Mark, having become Peter's

interpreter, wrote accurately all that he

remembered...”26

Irenaeus says that “Mark, the disciple and

interpreter of Peter, also himself committed to

us inscripturated the things being preached by

Peter.”27

Tertullian (200 AD) also states: “…that (gospel)

which Mark had published may be affirmed to

be Peter's, whose interpreter Mark was.”28

Luke: Luke functioned as Paul's amenuensis.

Irenaeus said of the gospel of Luke: “ ... Luke,

the follower of Paul, the gospel being preached

by that one (Paul) he put down in a book.”29

Origen says that Luke, “composed for Gentile

converts…the Gospel commended by Paul.”30

Tertullian called it “Paul's gospel written by

Luke.”31

It is also clear that Luke and Acts have the same

24

Eusebius, Penguin Classics: Eusebius, The History of the Church (New York: Penguin Books, 1984), p. 210. 25

See Tertius in Rom. 16:22 and Silvanus in 1 Pet. 5:12; Paul also implies that he used amenuenses in Gal. 6:11

and 2 Thess. 3:17. 26



Tertullian, Against Marcion, book 4, chapter 5, in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., (Grand Rapids,

Michigan: Eerdmans, 1980) vol. 3, p. 350. 29

Eusebius, Penguin Classics: Eusebius, The History of the Church (New York: Penguin Books, 1984), pp.

210,211. 30

From Origen’s Commentary on Matthew, preserved in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, book 6, chapter 25,

paragraph 6. 31

Tertullian, Against Marcion, book 4, chapter 5. See Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-

Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1980), vol. 3, p. 350.


15

author.32

Hebrews: Hebrews is of uncertain authorship, although it is

theologically and conceptually connected with Paul. At the

same time, the grammar and vocabulary are quite different

from Paul's other books. Two options are possible:

1. Clement of Rome (quoted by Eusebius) said that "the

epistle to the Hebrews is Paul's,"33

originally written in the

Hebrew dialect but later translated by Luke into Greek for

use among Greek Christians. This would account for the

obvious difference in vocabulary and style between

Hebrews and Paul's letters.

2. One of Paul's companions may have written it under his

supervision, possibly Timothy (see Hebrews 13:23).

Barnabas (a Levite) and Apollos are also possibilities. This

would explain the difference in style and vocabulary, as

well as the author's third-person reference to the apostles in

Hebrews 2:3,4.

NOTE: The above quotes show that leaders in the early

church were very concerned about the issue of apostolic

authorship.

James: There were three apostles named James—James the son

of Zebedee, James the son of Alphaeus, and James, the half-

brother of Christ who was designated as an apostle after Jesus’

resurrection. Herod had James the son of Zebedee “put to death

by the sword” (Acts 12:2) probably in 44 A.D., making it

unlikely that he wrote this letter. Most commentators attribute

this epistle to Jesus’ half-brother James.

Jude: This author calls himself “the brother of James,”

suggesting that his brother was well known. The best known

James at this time was Jesus’ half-brother James, the apostle

and leader of the church in Jerusalem. Jesus had another half-

brother named Jude and two others: Joseph and Simon

(Matt. 13:55). All four brothers became followers of Christ

after his resurrection (Acts 1:14,15). There is some evidence

that Jesus’ brothers were regarded as apostles (see 1 Cor. 9:5).

And Harris points out “If James had disbelieved his half-

brother at first (John 7:5) but became an early believer and

32

See Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1970) pp. 100-101.

33 Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, VI. 14.


16

distinguished leader after having seen the risen Christ, it is only

a small step to think that his brother Jude was also accepted as

a special apostle...”34

The other possibility is that Jude the

apostle (one of the original twelve and likely brother of James,

son of Alphaeus) wrote this letter. In either case, the notion

that this letter has apostolic origins is further supported by

Tertullian’s (155-230 A.D.) reference to the author as “the

Apostle Jude.”35

Conclusion: The church did not create or determine the New Testament

canon based on personal theological preferences. From the beginning, the

early church recognized the teaching and writing of the Apostles as inspired.

Their letters were written and received as scripture. Apostolic authorship was

the known criteria for inclusion in the canon. This is the main reason why

other so-called “gospels” and “letters” were excluded from the New

Testament canon (see handout on “New Testament Pseudepigraphical

Books”).

(R. Laird Harris) “We need speak of no strong intuition of the

early church, as does Westcott, whereby these holy writings were

distinguished from others. It was not an intuition: It was simple

obedience to the known commands of Christ and his apostles.”36

(F. F. Bruce) “What is particularly important to notice is that the

New Testament canon was not demarcated by the arbitrary decree

of any church council. When at last a church council-the Synod of

Hippo in AD 393-listed the 27 books of the New Testament, it did

not confer upon them any authority which they did not already

possess, but simply recorded their previously established

canonicity.”37

Overall Conclusion

Memory Verses (NONE)

Assignment

Read chapter 7 of Reading the Bible with Heart & Mind and write one-paragraph

summary of the chapter.

Write out your meditation on 2 Cor. 4:16-5:6 as explained in class.

34

R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Scriptures (Greenville, South Carolina: A Press, 1996), p. 273. 35

Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women, book 1, chapter 3. 36

R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Scriptures (Greenville, South Carolina: A Press, 1996) p. 246. 37

F. F. Bruce, The Books and the Parchments (London, England: Pickering and Inglis, 1971) pp. 112,113.